


The Proposal

by EliotByNight



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Marriage Proposal, let Chanyeol live, like the disgustingly romantic young woman I am, on stage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-08-20 05:49:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16550114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EliotByNight/pseuds/EliotByNight
Summary: The proposal basically everyone dreams of.





	The Proposal

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [The Proposal](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/431024) by Eliot ByNight. 



He was nervous, so nervous that he couldn't breathe, and kept lifting his shirt to get air.  
Apparently it was nothing different, just another concert. Although an idol could never get used to travelling around the world and unleashing himself on a stage, certain sensations had now entered his skin.  
But not this time. That feeling was unique and he would never feel it again in his life.

“Chanyeol, you have to put your jacket on.” Junmyeon told him, emerging from the dressing room ready and fully clothed, before one of the technicians hooked the microphone onto him.  
He had a twisted smile and that only made the other’s condition worse.

“I know!” exclaimed Chanyeol, with a slight sing-song. - But I'm too hot, I'll never make it and you'll see me fall on the ground like a twig.”

Junmyeon laughed. “We both know that's not gonna happen. You really can't afford it.”

Chanyeol couldn't afford to faint or drop in performance for two very important reasons.

“Guys!” Chanyeol began, still with his jacket open, approaching Jongin after he has just come out of the dressing room as well. “I'm sorry, I'm really sorry.” He added, joining his hands together and bowing his head.  
He moaned immediately afterwards with pain, bending over on one side and holding his side where he had felt fingers sticking into the flesh with a dry blow.

“If you apologize once again, I'm really going to hurt you.” Kyungsoo advised, appearing behind him.

To reassure Chanyeol, who still had a painful grimace on his face, Jongin stroked one of his shoulders. “It's okay. You're not gonna steal our scene. Not until the end of the concert, at least, when your time comes.”

“Your time?”

Everyone's eyes grew big, huge, wide open.  
All the people taking part in the scene turned to Baekhyun, who was ready to begin and dressed with the same elegant outfit of the other members. He looked at Chanyeol confused, and then he even frowned on Jongin.  
Chanyeol had no idea what colour his face had become and whether he would ever breathe again.

“One of his usual bullshit.” echoed the voice of Sehun, who was still preparing from behind the door.

Baekhyun smiled and went to a technician to get his microphone fixed. “Oh, then it's all as usual.”

Junmyeon, Jongin and Kyungsoo followed him with their eyes, holding back any suspicious reactions, while Sehun finally came out of the dressing room. Chanyeol was immediately by his side, whispering a thanks in his ear.  
“You owe me a favor the size of a house.” The other one murmured amused, and the friend nodded quickly.

It was ironic how Sehun, to cover back his friend, described it as bullshit when it would actually be the most revolutionary event in the history of Korean show business.

 

After a few minutes, everyone was ready. The audience choir was very strong even from behind the scenes and the feel was so intense that their ears were buzzing. Chanyeol was one of the last to line up and had an indecipherable expression on his face. He checked for the millionth time that he had a precious and fundamental object in his pocket and, when he realized he had it, he sighed for relief.

At that moment, Minseok and Jongdae gave him a light punch on the shoulder, on both sides, amused by how that big guy was shaking like a leaf.

“Hey ...!” he protested, breaking the silence, and doing so Baekhyun turned to watch, a little further on.

Chanyeol stiffened and just smiled at him, earning in response a much more relaxed and sweet smile.  
All the anxiety vanished into the air, as if by magic. After all, how nervous could he be about knowing that he would turn half the world around with what he was about to do?

“Ah, I think I'll cry this time ...!” Jongdae said out loud, and that was the last sentence before EXO made their glorious appearance on stage.

 

*

 

The first reason why neither Chanyeol nor any of the others in the group could afford any energy cuts was because of the imminent departure of Jongin and Kyungsoo for military service. That was the last concert of that tour, before the two left to fulfill their duties as Korean citizens, during the period of time they still had available to do so. A long break with secondary activities would come for the rest of the group, but first of all that tour had to end with a perfect and memorable concert.

The crowd was going crazy: many fanchants had risen in honor of the two members that fans would miss so much; so much emotion but also so much laughter had filled the stadium, in addition to the music of the artists and the light and love of their audience.  
An EXO concert was always an extraordinary experience for anyone lucky enough to attend, but that particular concert would be remembered for a second very special reason.

Baekhyun moved away from the side edge of the stage and stopped shaking his hands to greet the audience, walking distractedly towards Chanyeol. The latter had not stopped looking at him for a moment and now that their eyes had crossed again, Baekhyun smiled at him, enchanted and happy.

That was the same smile he had given him after their first kiss.

He could never forget: he had drunk too much and his head was spinning. Yet he was never so lucid, when out of nowhere he interrupted Baekhyun's speech to grasp the collar of his shirt and kiss him vigorously. Luckily they were alone on the terrace of one of their choreographers, who had organized the evening.  
He realized too late what he had done and was about to get down on his knees and apologize in a thousand different languages, but Baekhyun had smiled at him in that warm and sweet way, and told him a thousand times not to apologize, because he had been waiting for him to do so for so long. He was just too shy to make the first move, and when Chanyeol realized it, he began to kiss Baekhyun so many times to compensate for the months when neither of them had the courage to do so.

He had smiled at him like that even before they made love for the first time. For Baekhyun it had been a fixed nail for a long time, but he was afraid that by asking Chanyeol he would not find him ready. Instead, when he veiled him to understand that he wanted to try, the other had taken his hands and asked him directly, without turning around, making it sound like the most innocent and simple question of the universe. Baekhyun had never been so grateful to him, for this and for how he had taken so much care of him every time they had done it.

Chanyeol loved that slightly crooked, but bright smile of his. He knew that he was one of the few people to have seen it dedicated to him and he knew its meaning. When Baekhyun looked at him like that, he knew that he was fine, he was at ease, happy and relaxed. The more he thought he had been the cause of that smile so many times, the smaller he felt, because Baekhyun was a really, really great person and the love Chanyeol felt for him was never enough to compensate.

Their story, conveniently hidden from cameras and microphones, had been going on for a few years and Chanyeol had decided to attempt the feat of his life, to give birth to that wonderful smile in the most exciting way there could be.  
He had chosen that concert because the consequences for their reputation would have been heavy and unpredictable and he knew that after that night he and the group would have a moment of peace to face them. He didn't want to take advantage of that concert in particular, since Jongin and Kyungsoo would then leave for military service and deserved to have the night all for themselves and enjoy the love of the public, but both they and the rest of the group had not wanted to hear reasons.  
After all, Chanyeol would steal their scene anyway, with what he had in mind to do, and for his companions this was also much more important.

Chanyeol would have surprised Baekhyun once again and at the same time would have ensured that he could do it forever.

 

*

 

They had most of the setlist behind them. Sweat had become a second skin and the muscles of the whole body began to numb, as well as the voice was less stable and shiny. But Baekhyun's eyes never had enough of admiring those colorful, dancing lights, his ears would never stop listening to those excited voices and his heart would never stop vibrating from how loud it was beating.  
He took a long breath and prepared for the final acts, unaware of what would soon happen.

It was time to say goodbye, the last quiet space dedicated to speeches and thanks before the last two or three songs that would close the concert.  
The audience repeated the names of Jongin and Kyungsoo countless times and the two waved their hands and bowed down to thank the audience with their eyes already watery, which had never dried during the entire concert. During their first speech, they both had burst out crying like children, moved by the immense love that surrounded them. They said a few more words, little promises for when they would return to the scene with the members.  
The others enjoyed their standard speeches, with a few laughs and many, many words of gratitude to their fans, waiting for the new comeback that would be there after almost two years.

Two years, thought Chanyeol.  
He thought about how quickly the world would be able to turn into hell and how slowly it would take to extinguish its flames and give him and others some peace of mind.  
He could have made it. They could have done it together.

“Thank you, I love you!” concluded Baekhyun, then bowing to his audience that reacted strongly.  
He then turned to the last one who lacked the word, the one who half the world imagined he could become his boyfriend, but who nobody knew was for real.

Chanyeol began to say random words to the microphone, obviously thanking the audience for their support and being stupid.  
“Ah, what can I say ... we have sweated so much, I do not know if you can see ...!” he was saying, with a funny laugh.

Baekhyun laughed with him, but simultaneously raised an eyebrow, thinking it wasn't exactly the smartest thing to say. But after all, that's how Chanyeol used to behave at the scene.

“What, are you moved? Are you keeping yourself from crying?” He tried to make fun of him.  
He hadn’t noticed that almost all the members had moved away from the central area of the stage and were turning back, towards the staircase.

“No, I won't cry! I’m strong!” Chanyeol defended himself, however, with his voice shaking a little bit.

The public raised a roar and Baekhyun pointed an accusing finger towards him. “Liar! Did you hear yourself?”

“Ah ... maybe you're right ...” Chanyeol then said, hanging on his own feet with his forehead low. “I think I'm going to cry, but only if you cry with me.”

Baekhyun frowned, continuing with what for him was one of their many games. “Why do you have to be so cruel?”

“Because I love you, Baekhyun.”

The first bomb was dropped. He heard it in the vibrant roar of the audience and saw it in the corners of Baekhyun's mouth that fell suddenly, as well as his eyes that became huge and frightened. Chanyeol bit his lower lip, trying uselessly to make himself small in the exaggerated shoulders, and before his boyfriend could kill him with his own hands for endangering the secrecy of their relationship, Chanyeol hastened to continue.

“I love you, Baekhyun, and as much as we've already cried enough tonight, I'm afraid we're going to have to shed some more tears, because I'm about to do something we can't easily bear emotionally.”

He let go of a nervous laugh, but already felt his throat clenching and imposed himself to resist to the end.  
He stood in front of Baekhyun, who had been speechless and was still holding his microphone close to his mouth like an idiot.

“Baekhyun, I ask your forgiveness, because I’m about to reveal to the world my reason for living, the reason why I keep getting up in the morning and falling asleep happily in the evening. I ask your forgiveness, because I have made a decision for both of us, a difficult decision that will almost certainly get us into trouble, but I also know that you’ll be much better than me at dealing with what will happen to us. I ask your forgiveness, Baekhyun, because maybe we're not ready, but I love you so much that if I don't do it now I think I'd go crazy.”

In that last sentence, the whole stadium was shaken by how loud the audience shouted. The whole stadium, including Baekhyun, who was now holding the microphone in his hands like a helpless puppy, staring at Chanyeol who, despite the forecasts, had not yet had his emotional breakdown.  
The situation worsened when Chanyeol, clutching his eyes and lips with emotion, stood on his knee in front of the man he loved. From that moment on, everything was too easy to understand.  
The crowd had reached its most complete hysteria and Baekhyun had dropped the microphone, causing a brief deafening hiss, and had brought his hands to his mouth as his eyes quickly became moist.

Damn it, he hadn't had time to imagine that scene yet, and there it was. Chanyeol was on his knees in front of him and looked at him with trembling eyes and an immense love, which he had never been able to go on without.  
Chanyeol had always been big and small at the same time, a total different world that he had had the good fortune to know. Chanyeol was the purest and most precious thing that existed in the world and it was precisely because, unlike the thousands of fans around the world, he had also seen its darkest sides. And when he thought he knew everything about him, he surprised him and left him speechless, curious and amazed.  
Tonight he'd really outdone himself.

Baekhyun's heart hammered until it wanted to come out of his chest and intense heat burned his face to realize what Chanyeol was about to do. Including his apology, including that sense of danger that had shaken him for a moment, but now that he had understood he knew he wouldn’t be afraid of anything that would happen from that moment on.  
He'd have Chanyeol by his side, and that's why he felt invincible.

“Byun Baekhyun.” still whispered his boyfriend into the microphone, before putting his hand in his pocket and pulling it out again closed in a fist.  
Chanyeol peeked in and then came back to smile at him gently, as if there were only them on that stage. He slowly opened his hand and showed a small, thin ring, which shone with a discreet yellow light.

That's when it happened.  
The noise from the audience dropped abruptly; everyone was in suspense.  
Baekhyun smiled. It was the happiest and most beautiful smile he ever had. It was the smile Chanyeol fell in love with. A tear fell on his red cheekbone and at that moment Chanyeol asked the fateful question.

“Baekhyun, will you marry me?”

The real bomb went off.  
The crowd made the stadium tremble once again, so strong, that the two believed that it would take flight. Chanyeol smiled showing his teeth, bright and sweet as he had never been, and Baekhyun nodded several times, before jumping into his arms.  
Chanyeol was right. They were both crying. By then, they'd probably be crying a lot. But all those tears would be nothing compared to the strength that now kept them together, to the effort their arms made to hold each other together.

Baekhyun sank his face into the hollow of his neck and stayed there for long minutes, holding his trembling arms around the shoulders of the other. Chanyeol found himself sitting on the stage and with his hand free from the ring tenderly stroked his back all the time. The roar of the public didn’t diminish even a little; it was like a divine miracle.

Minseok was still drying his tears and was telling Jongdae to do the same, when a sweet music started and the members lined up on the stairs began to sing a love song that would give the two boys a few minutes to recover from the event.  
Kyungsoo sang from the heart and Jongdae followed him with ease, Junmyeon and Minseok accompanied them while Jongin and Sehun retouched the verses in their own way. Everyone smiled, everyone was touched by the proposal of the century.

With their voices hovering softly in the air, Baekhyun found the strength to untie the embrace and look into the eyes of the man with whom he had agreed to spend the rest of his life.  
“Yes, Park Chanyeol.” he whispered, taking his face in his hands and arranging the tufts attached to his skin. “Yes, I want to marry you.”

Chanyeol smiled again and the last warm tears ploughed through his cheeks, promptly stopped by Baekhyun and his beautiful hands.  
The kiss that followed was as simple as it was special. Their lips just touched, pressed together just enough, and their faces were tilted to one side only a little bit. Yet it seemed that there couldn’t be a more incisive manifestation of love than that.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol had just conquered the world and no one would stop them.

 

*

 

That scene went around the web in no time. The whole world was aware of Park Chanyeol's proposal to marry his colleague Byun Baekhyun. The reactions were as varied as they could be, from unconditional support to disgust and hatred and perplexity. But never indifference.  
Chanyeol and Baekhyun had had the opportunity to change the world in many ways and to upset the lives of many people. They were brave.  
Or at least a lot of people would have said that.

In fact they were two young lovers who had decided to jump in and give a chance to their feelings, testing each other. Locked in their hotel room after the concert, the only thing they could think of was the warmth of their neighboring bodies and the good that they felt flowing inside thinking they were together and that they would be together for a long, long time.

Baekhyun asked him how he had managed to convince the members of the group to support his project and what song was the one they had sung in the fateful moment. Chanyeol told him that he had composed it for him, but of course, taken from the moment, Baekhyun couldn’t have listened to it much. So Chanyeol, still under the sheets with his boyfriend, had stretched his arm out of bed to pick up his guitar and sat down to play that sweet song again. Baekhyun knew that Chanyeol was a skilled composer, but to hear those words openly dedicated to them was a plunge to the heart.  
The two remained to pamper each other all morning, amidst passionate kisses, laughter and thoughts about their future. They were both aware that they were afraid, that they did not have the absolute certainty of overcoming all the obstacles that awaited them.  
However, they were sure to succeed in one thing: stay together until the end.

 

#

**Author's Note:**

> This time I translated with DEEPL, a website that translates Whole documents in a very accurate way. I didn't ask anyone to check the translation after checking myself. If there are any mistakes or something that doesn't really sound right, can you please tell so that I can correct and remember for the future? Thanks!  
> Also, thank you for reading. <3


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